Pearland’s multifamily housing has grown, adding nearly 1,500 units since 2018, including the 358-unit Delta Pearland along Magnolia Parkway in 2024 and a 380-unit development at Pearland Town Center in 2026. Despite that growth, Pearland’s historical vacancy rates have remained under 7% since 2018.
The big picture
Rockport Ventures, the developer behind Delta Pearland, is proposing a new 296-unit multifamily community along Magnolia Parkway after City Council denied a rezoning request in January for a similar 315-unit development.
The discussion comes as Pearland could be affected by Senate Bill 840, passed during the 89th Texas Legislature in 2025, which requires cities with populations over 150,000 to allow multifamily development in certain nonresidential zoning districts.
While the city currently has a population of 133,500, reaching the threshold could affect its ability to use local zoning to decide where multifamily developments can be built.
Breaking it down
Through the second quarter of 2026, 380 units were delivered in Pearland, while absorption totaled 161 units, meaning there were 161 more units that residents saw move in versus move out. Vacancy stood at 6.5%—among the lowest rates in the Houston metro, where the overall rate was 11.1%, data shows.
As new units entered the market, absorption remained positive but didn’t keep pace with the rate of growing supply, data shows.
More recently, vacancy fell to 6.5%, suggesting demand is beginning to catch up with new supply, said Sherra Gilbert, senior research manager at Cushman & Wakefield. However, Pearland’s relatively smaller multifamily market can also make vacancy more sensitive to changes at individual properties, Gilbert said.
“Pearland appears to be transitioning from a period of rapid expansion toward a more balanced phase of the market cycle,” Gilbert said. “Market conditions do not suggest significant oversupply.”
By the numbers
As Pearland’s population grows, apartments in the city have grown with it.
Measuring the impact
Multifamily housing growth is happening alongside broader population and infrastructure growth, with Pearland’s population increasing about 9.7% since 2018, data shows.
Traffic volumes on three of the city’s major corridors have fluctuated during that period. In 2025, Broadway Street averaged about 31,300 vehicles per day, followed by Shadow Creek Parkway at 30,500 and Pearland Parkway at 27,000, data shows.
The city has several roadway projects planned to address congestion and improve mobility, including intersection improvements in Shadow Creek Ranch and at Pearland Parkway and Barry Rose Road.
One of the largest projects is a reconstruction of a five-mile stretch of Broadway Street that will expand the existing four-lane roadway to six lanes. The design, bidding and contract award are slated for completion by July 2027, and construction is expected to be completed by August 2028.
Offering input
“Pearland would benefit more from focusing on the quality, sustainability and continued reinvestment in its existing multifamily communities before adding significant additional apartment inventory," Pearland resident Bethany McCormack said.
“[Multifamily housing] is coming to Pearland, and we can either control it while we can or it’s going to hit us and we can’t do anything about it," Pearland council member Clint Byrom said.
Behind the bill
SB 840 could change how Pearland reviews multifamily housing if the city reaches the law’s 150,000-resident threshold.
The law allows multifamily or mixed-use residential development by right in qualifying areas zoned for office, commercial, retail, warehouse or mixed-use development. It also allows certain existing office, retail and warehouse buildings to be converted to residential use without additional zoning approvals.
Pearland is not currently subject to the law because its population remains below 150,000. However, the city’s population could reach around 154,000 residents by 2040, according to a regional forecast cited by the Pearland Economic Development Corporation.
The city will likely have until the 2030 Census to prepare, when population data will determine whether it has crossed the threshold, Texas Municipal League Representative Mike Martin said.
House District 29 Representative Jeff Barry, who voted against the bill, said the original proposal applied to cities with populations of 60,000 or more before lawmakers raised the threshold to 150,000. He said the legislation could limit how cities address the infrastructure needs of additional housing.
The potential change could affect projects such as the proposed Magnolia Parkway development, which requires a rezoning request under current ordinances. If SB 840 applies to Pearland, similar projects in qualifying districts could be allowed without going through the city’s zoning-change process.
“Those battles need to happen locally, not at the state level,” Barry said.
